A month into the 2017 NFL season, it would have been difficult for even the most optimistic fans to picture the Baltimore Ravens making the playoffs. Not only had they been plagued with injuries, but their fluctuating performance inspired little hope early on.

However, the Ravens managed to pick things up and now find themselves in prime position to earn a spot in the AFC Wild Card. Needless to say, head coach John Harbaugh addressed the skeptics that felt Baltimore had been ruled out of the playoff conversation.

By way of ESPN's Jamison Hensley:

“I do appreciate the character of our team and the resilience of our team and the mental toughness and the focus and the ability to get right at the task at hand and push aside the stuff that is not important and get right at what is important and deal with adversity when it happens, with the different injuries,” coach John Harbaugh said. “You are right; it is all around the league. Every team deals with it to one degree or another. We dealt with it quite a bit early and then middle of season. Our guys handled it, and they kept fighting through it. The reports of our demise, I guess, were greatly exaggerated.”

It seems John Harbaugh was well-aware of the critics surrounding his team. In all fairness, the Ravens have largely flown under the radar all year as a darkhorse candidate to make the playoffs.

Baltimore was sitting at 3-4 entering the final week of October. However, they managed to get back on track by winning five of their next seven games to accumulate their current 8-6 record. That said, the Ravens will likely need to win out in order to secure a postseason berth.

With the real playoffs looming, for the Baltimore Ravens and John Harbaugh, the postseason actually begins right now.